The streets were bustling with people, filled with laughter and the simple shouts of vendors. Women, dressed in plain clothes, carried baskets as they shopped at the market for daily necessities. A silver blur darted through the streets, too quick to identify, perhaps invisible due to the morning sun or simply unnoticed by the thronging crowd, which emboldened the young Dragon King even more. His playful nature and penchant for mischief were at work.
At a small stall, he saw various trinkets that caught his interest. He picked up a rattle drum, playing with it in mid-air, causing the vendor to panic as he watched the drum float and spin, making a pleasant sound. The vendor, thinking he saw a ghost, stared blankly at the floating drum, his comical expression making the Dragon King laugh out loud. Though he was just a small silver dragon, common mortals couldn’t see his true form, only a faint silver shimmer, which the bright sunlight had already obscured.
The vendor tugged at the neighboring tofu seller, who was busy ogling the pretty girls on the street, saying, “You, look, that drum is moving on its own. Look!” The tofu seller, annoyed, snapped back, “In broad daylight, what are you yelling about? Go see ghosts if you want, don’t disturb my ‘interests’.” He continued to leer at the passing women while pretending to concentrate on frying tofu.
